EvidenceSheet
NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 · AC - Access Control

AC-16(4) Security and Privacy Attributes | Association of Attributes by Authorized Individuals

Provide the capability to associate organization-defined security and privacy attributes with organization-defined subjects and objects by authorized individuals (or processes acting on behalf of individuals).

Source: NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5, AC-16(4). The statement above is our statement of the clause, read from the published text and cited so you can check it against the official text, not the instrument verbatim. Open NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5 in the compliance library.

Base controls and their enhancements. Which apply follows the baseline you are assessed against (for example FedRAMP Moderate or High, or the low, moderate and high baselines of SP 800-53B). Text in square brackets is a parameter your organisation sets.

10
artefacts
1
held by a system
2
at each review
hard
to go live
Policy repository / GRC workspace
where the evidence lives
teal = a system already holds it · olive = produced at each review. To go live: easy when half or more of the artefacts are already held by a system, moderate from a quarter to a half, hard below a quarter.

These are the artefacts auditors commonly ask for on this requirement, our guidance rather than text from the standard. Your assessor decides what is sufficient in your context, and asks for samples across the period when a report covers one.

system holds itEvidence a system already holds

  • List of users authorized to associate security and privacy attributes to information · Identity provider / directory

periodic reviewEvidence produced at each review

  • System audit records · Identity provider / directory
  • Test of Mechanisms supporting user associations of security and privacy attributes to information · Identity provider / directory

governing documentDocuments that govern the control

  • Access control policy · Policy repository / GRC workspace
  • Procedures addressing the association of security and privacy attributes to information · Policy repository / GRC workspace
  • System design documentation · Policy repository / GRC workspace
  • System configuration settings and associated documentation · Policy repository / GRC workspace
  • System prompts for privileged users to select security and privacy attributes to be associated with information objects · Policy repository / GRC workspace
  • System security plan · Policy repository / GRC workspace
  • Privacy plan · Policy repository / GRC workspace

First move

Mostly documents and reviews. Pull the 1 system-held artefact from your Identity provider / directory on a schedule; put the documents under version control with an owner and review date, and log each review as a dated record with a named reviewer.

Common gaps auditors find

Do this for your whole sheet

Paste the rows you run your controls from and get this mapping for every control at once, with the periodic-review ones flagged and a first move per row. No account for the first run.

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AC-16(3) Security and Privacy Attributes | Maintenance of Attribute Associations by System · AC-16(5) Security and Privacy Attributes | Attribute Displays on Objects to Be Output